Shocking! The entire court was drooling with envy because of me.

"Give me your hand!" Master Zheng walked up to another student.

The student tentatively reached out his hand, a look of fear on his face.

Snapped--

The ruler fell, and the student's face contorted in pain.

"Zhou Wentong ate too..." The last student who hadn't been beaten muttered to himself, seemingly feeling that it was somewhat unfair.

The room was extremely quiet, and even though he spoke softly, everyone present could hear him clearly.

Master Zheng frowned, took a few steps to the student who had spoken earlier, and shouted angrily, "It's one thing to indulge in your own appetite, but to dare to frame someone else? Reach out!"

The student was filled with grievances, but dared not say anything, and could only tremblingly extend his hand.

Snapped--

The ruler fell.

Snapped--

Another ruler.

"He's right, I ate too." Zhou Wentong stood up and said loudly after seeing that Master Zheng had finished his meal.

Master Zheng was so angry that he puffed out his beard and glared at Zhou Wentong. He looked Zhou Wentong up and down for a long time before finally saying, "Your clothes are clean, that's fine. I won't hit you, but I will tell your father the truth about this!"

Zhou Wentong snorted coldly; he knew that Master Zheng was going to complain to his father.

But he wasn't afraid; at worst, he could just stop studying.

As the saying goes, a scholar is useless; if you have the time to study, you might as well practice martial arts.

After beating the man and calming down, Master Zheng continued his lecture.

"When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it first tests their resolve, starves their body, and empties their resources..."

He changed the content of his lecture at the last minute, preparing to explain in detail the relationship between enduring hardship and having lofty aspirations.

The students below dared not utter a sound, each holding their breath and listening intently, afraid of displeasing the teacher.

I don't know how much time had passed, but suddenly, a very rich aroma of braised pork ribs filled the room.

chirp-

Even the sound could be heard, though it was hidden among the loud reading aloud.

Master Zheng frowned, the aroma lingering around his nose, and his mouth kept watering.

Why is the smell so strong?

Could it be that the street vendors outside have wandered into the academy?

He put down his book, signaled the students to continue reading, and then stepped out of the house to take a look. He was determined to drive away the vendors outside.

As soon as Master Zheng left, all the students were thrown into chaos.

Especially the student sitting next to Zhou Wentong.

God knows, he was so hungry watching Zhou Wentong sneak food.

"Brother Zhou, Brother Zhou, let me have a taste, quickly! Just one bite!"

Zhou Wentong licked the oil off his lips, rolled his eyes, and handed over the big bone.

He ate quite a bit today. He brought this bone into the academy to cause trouble, and now that someone has asked for it, he naturally has to give it to them.

The student next to him took the big bone and started gnawing on it without hesitation.

"It smells so good! It smells amazing!" His eyes lit up, his face full of shock.

How can there be such fragrant big bones? It's a once-in-a-century find!

It tasted better than anything he had ever eaten in his life.

"Give it to me, give it to me, give me a taste!"

"Hurry, hurry, give me a bite too."

"Let me try it, let me have a taste."

"..."

The students all started to make a fuss, except for one person who kept a cold face. That person was Zhao Gou, the most outstanding disciple of Master Zheng.

"Your behavior is a complete disgrace to the Master's teachings!"

Zhou Wentong raised an eyebrow and gave a soft hum.

"Give me the bone."

The other students quickly returned the braised pork bone to Zhou Wentong, after all, Zhou Wentong had paid for it, and besides, his father was an instructor.

Zhou Wentong took the bone and glanced at it. Although four or five people had already gnawed on it, there was still some meat on it.

He reached out, tore off a small piece of meat, and walked straight toward Zhao Gou.

"What are you trying to do? A gentleman uses words, not fists. Fighting is forbidden in the academy. Don't come any closer!!"

Zhou Wentong was robust and large, and Zhao Gou was somewhat afraid of him.

"Don't come any closer! I'm not afraid of you. Wait until the teacher returns..."

Zhao Gou was speaking when he suddenly stopped.

It wasn't for any other reason than that Zhou Wentong quickly stuffed that small piece of meat into his mouth.

The rich aroma of meat mixed with the flavor of sauce spread throughout his mouth, instantly stimulating all his taste buds. His mind was filled with only one thought: to savor it!

Zhao Gou couldn't control his tongue. With a gentle lick, the meat melted, becoming tender and flavorful. The ultimate enjoyment made him squint his eyes.

It smells so good, it feels so comforting.

I want to have another bite.

It would be so satisfying to eat a whole one...

One idea after another popped into his head, and all of them eventually converged into one: once his studies were over, he would definitely buy a big bone and enjoy it properly.

"How is it? Isn't it much tastier than steamed buns?" Zhou Wentong smiled and handed the big bone to the other students.

The students scrambled to grab a bite.

The truth is, they hadn't eaten much this afternoon; the aroma was so enticing that they couldn't eat any steamed buns or pickled vegetables.

Zhao Gou licked the oil off his lips, and his expression turned cold the moment his gaze fell on Zhou Wentong.

"You did it on purpose."

"Of course I did it on purpose," Zhou Wentong laughed indifferently. "Anyway, everyone ate it. You can tell the teacher, and everyone will be punished."

"Why don't we keep it a secret until our studies are over, then go out and buy some braised pork ribs together?"

Zhou Wentong's goal was simple: to win over Zhao Gou and prevent him from reporting on Zhao Gou's actions.

In this way, the students would secretly go to buy braised pork ribs, and Madam Shen's business would improve significantly.

Zhao Gou was Master Zheng's most outstanding student. He always respected Master Zheng and never lied to him.

But this time, he was genuinely hesitant.

It's just a bone, it can't be that serious...

"The Master has arrived!"

"The Master is back!"

"Hide quickly..."

"When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it first tests their resolve and character..."

The students were busy hiding bones and pretending to study hard; they were incredibly busy for a time.

When Master Zheng returned, he saw that all the students were sitting upright, reading the classics aloud, looking very serious.

But for some inexplicable reason, he always felt that something was off.

He went outside the academy just now, but there were no stalls or braised pork ribs at all, and the smell had dissipated considerably.

But as soon as you enter the room, that smell suddenly becomes stronger.

Could it be that he's gone mad?

"Didn't you smell anything?" Master Zheng couldn't help but ask.

"no."

"No, no!"

Zhao Gou opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say anything.

The big bone smelled so good; he really wanted to devour it.

Just this once, after he finishes his studies, he will go and buy one.

The other students naturally shared the same thought, just waiting for get out of class to end so they could buy braised pork ribs.